Boot and shoe construction



-8, 1970 V.E.'CINQUEGRANA E 4 3,545,101-

BOOT AND SHOE I CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 28, 1969 INVENTORS V/NCE/VTE-CUVQUEGRANA #LLOYD IV- EC/(ES ATTORNEYS United States Patent 61 ifice3,545,107 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 US. Cl. 3650 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A boot and shoe construction is disclosed having a paddedback part insert for providing a cushioned upper back portion forreducing and substantially eliminating chafing or binding therebyimproving the wear comfort characteristics of the boot and shoeconstruction.

The present invention relates to an all-purpose outdoor boot and shoeconstruction, especially a so-called walking or sports boot and shoeprovided with an improved upper portion.

As is well-known, one common prior design of an outdoor boot and shoeconstruction includes upwardly extending sides having a rear or backportion made of the same material and of substantially the samethickness as the vamp and lower quarters. While these prior art bootsand shoes are rugged and generally have good wear characteristics, theymay sometimes be relatively uncomfortable to wear because of chafing andbinding.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide an improvedwalking boot and shoe construction which is rugged, has as good wearcharacteristics as the boots and shoes of the prior art; and, inaddition, is relatively more comfortable to wear.

It is another object of the invention to provide a boot and shoeconstruction which provides a cushioned back part for reducing andsubstantially eliminating chafing and binding.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a boot and shoeformed of separate portions to provide a boot and shoe constructionhaving an attractive, distinctive styling.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustratedin the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boot and shoe construction inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the back or rear of the boot and shoe constructionof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;and,

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the boot and shoe construction of FIGS. 1and 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, the boot and shoe construction of the inventioncomprises a foot portion including a conventional sole 11 and heel 12 onwhich is ailixed a conventional vamp 13 and lower quarter 14 of suitablematerial such as leather, The upwardly extending sides 16 and 18 of theboot and shoe construction have a conventional reinforced forward openedge including eyelets 22 and hooks or studs 24 for receiving the laces25.

formed in essentially a U-shape with the open edge 29 of the sides beingspaced from one another, see FIG. 4. The lower heel portion 20 of theboot and shoe construction is common to sides 16 and 18 and isrelatively rigid and fits and conforms to the wearers foot.

A back part insert 30 (see FIG. 4) is shaped to conform to that part ofthe leg on which the insert bears. Insert 30 is also shaped to fit theopen edge 29, the top of sides 16 and 18, and is aifixed to the sides 16and 18 as by stitching (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The back part insert 30provides a relatively soft, padded, yieldable member which extends fromjust above the heel portion 20 area to the top of the boot and shoeconstruction. Note that the cushioned back part insert 30 conforms tothe contour of the part of the leg around which it is worn.

In the embodiment shown, the upper section of back part insert 30 mayextend upwardly from sides 16 and 18. The back part insert 30 of thisembodiment thus includes a cushioned top collar 31 fitting almostcompletely around the leg of the wearer. Also, the front portion ofcollar 31 may include eyelets or hooks for receiving a lace. The backpart insert 30 may be made of a different and preferably softer typematerial that the other portions of the boot and shoe construction 10.

In one embodiment, the back part insert 30' is formed in ribbed orquilted style wherein padding or cushioning material 33, indicated bystippling in FIG. 3, is placed between two thicknesses 32A and 32B ofthe material back part insert 30'. Next, horizontal stitches 35, spacedand essentially parallel, are taken to sew the thicknesses 32A and 32Btogether and thereby retain the padding 33 therebetween, as clearlyshown in the exploded view of FIG. 3. The ribbed or quiltedconfiguration tends to provide extra strength as well as compliance tothe material of back part insert 30.

In the embodiment shown, the rear part 36 (see FIG. 4) of insert 30includes approximately one-fourth of an inch thickness of foam padding,and the side parts 37 of insert 30 each include approximately one-halfinch thickness of foam padding.

It should be understood that the back insert 30 may also be of smoothrather than quilted design. I

The inclusion of cushioned or padded back part insert 30 thus provides aboot and shoe construction 10 which is long wearing and rugged, and yetis very comfortable to wear, since it tends to eliminate chafing orbinding on the wearers foot.

We claim:

1. A boot and shoe construction including a pair of sides extendingupwardly and having a forward open edge including a closure means, thelower rear portion of said sides being joined for forming a heel, theupper rear portion of said pair of sides defining spaced apart edges,and a padded back part insert permanently afiixed to said upper rearportion along said spaced apart edges for providing cushioning for thewearer.

2. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1 wherein the spaced apartedges define a U-shape from back view and said back part insert conformsto the associated part of the leg where it is worn.

3. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1 wherein the back partinsert is formed of a first thickness of material, a second thickness ofmaterial, a padding placed between said thicknesses, and spaced parallelstitch lines afiixing said first and second thicknesses of material andsaid padding in quilted form.

4. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1 wherein said back partinsert includes a cushioned top collar, and said back part insert isafiixed to the top of said sides as well as to said edges.

5. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1 wherein said back partinsert is padded to a first thickness along its sides and a lesserthickness along its rearmost portion.

6. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1 wherein said back partinsert includes a portion which extends above said sides, and whereinsaid back part insert includes holes in its forward portion throughwhich lacing can be inserted.

7. A boot and shoe construction as in claim 1, where- 4 in the back partinsert is formed of a first thickness of material, a second thickness ofmaterial, a padding placed between said thicknesses, and stitchingafiixing said first and second thicknesses of material and said paddingin quilted form.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 75,048 3/1868 Perley 3671X2,789,374 4/1957 Planert 3671 2,918,734 12/1959 Hyde 3671X PATRICK D.LAWSON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 36-25, 71

